1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a large-capacity disk storage apparatus for use with an information processing apparatus, and particularly to a disk cartridge loading apparatus for loading a disk cartridge in which a disk-like information storage medium is housed into a storage apparatus body or unloading the disk cartridge from the storage apparatus body and a disk storage apparatus including such disk cartridge loading apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a high-speed and large-capacity disk storage apparatus typically represented by a removable disk storage apparatus, there are roughly classified based on a disk cartridge loading method two kinds of disk storage apparatus which are referred to as a pop-up type and a slot-in type. FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show such prior-art disk storage apparatus.
A disk storage apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 1 is a pop-up type disk storage apparatus in which a disk cartridge is loaded or unloaded by tilting a cartridge holder. As shown in FIG. 1, this pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200 comprises a box-like mechanical chassis 201 whose upper surface is opened and a cartridge holder 202 housed within this mechanical chassis 201 so as to become inclined and whose front cartridge insertion slot 202a can be opened and closed.
The mechanical chassis 201 incorporates therein a spindle motor 203 serving as a rotation drive mechanism for rotating a disk-like information storage medium housed within a disk cartridge 300 held on a cartridge holder 202 and a recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown) for recording and/or reproducing an information signal in and/or from an information recording surface of an information storage medium rotated by this spindle motor 203. This mechanical chassis 201 has at its deep respective side portions provided a pair of left and right supporting brackets for supporting respective ends of the rear portion of the cartridge holder 202.
Through this pair of supporting brackets, the cartridge holder 202 can take the unloading state in which the front side thereof is lifted to project the cartridge insertion slot 202a onto the mechanical chassis 201 and the loading state in which the cartridge holder 202 is lowered and accommodated in the mechanical chassis 201 in the horizontal state.
In this pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200, when a disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the cartridge holder 202 or the disk cartridge 300 is ejected from the cartridge holder 202, at least the front side of the cartridge holder 202 should be tilted in the upper direction by an amount larger than the thickness of the disk cartridge 300 so that the cartridge insertion slot 202a should be completely projected from the mechanical chassis 202. If this cartridge holder 202 is not tilted, that is, if the tilted amount of the front side of the cartridge holder 202 is less than the thickness of the disk cartridge 300, then the disk cartridge 300 collides with the mechanical chassis 201 so that the disk cartridge 300 cannot be inserted into the cartridge holder 202 or that the disk cartridge holder 300 cannot be ejected from the cartridge holder 202.
In FIG. 1, assuming now that T1 is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200 obtained when the disk cartridge is loaded, T2 is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200 obtained when the disk cartridge is inserted (ejected) and that T3 is the thickness of the disk cartridge 300, the following relation is established among the above-mentioned thicknesses T1, T2, T3. EQU T2-T1&gt;T3
As described above, in the pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200, the minimum tilting amount of the cartridge holder 202 is automatically determined based on the thickness of the inserted disk cartridge 300 and restricted by such thickness. Accordingly, as the features of the function of the pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200, the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200 obtained upon loading can be reduced once the disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the storage apparatus body.
On the other hand, in the loading operation of the disk cartridge 300, initially, the disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the cartridge holder 200. Then, the cartridge holder 200 is tilted and the information storage medium is loaded on to a spindle motor, which then requires a two-stage operation. Therefore, there should be executed a plurality of loading procedures, which is not convenient for the operator.
Also, a disk storage apparatus 210 shown in FIG. 2, is a slot-in type disk storage apparatus typically represented by a floppy disk drive (FDD) in which a disk cartridge is inserted or ejected from a slot serving as an opening window defined in the storage apparatus body. As shown in FIG. 2, this slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210 comprises a rectangular box-like storage apparatus body 211 and a cartridge holder 212 accommodated within this storage apparatus body 211 and which can be horizontally elevated and lowered.
This storage apparatus body 211 incorporates therein the spindle motor 213 serving as a rotation drive mechanism and a recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown) for recording and/or reproducing an information signal in and/or from an information recording medium rotated by this spindle motor 213 similarly to the above-mentioned pop-up type. This storage apparatus body 211 has on its front surface defined an opening window 211a into or from which a disk cartridge 300 is inserted or ejected. To the inside of this opening window 211a is opposed a cartridge insertion slot 212a of the cartridge holder 212 moved to the upper position. Then, the cartridge holder 212 is lowered by a holder elevating mechanism (not shown) and moved to the lower position, whereby the information recording medium is loaded onto the spindle motor 213.
The feature of this slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210 lies in that, once the disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the storage apparatus body 211, the loading operation can be automatically executed and then completed. Then, when an eject mechanism is operated by pressing an eject button, for example, the disk cartridge 300 can be ejected automatically. Accordingly, this slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210 has the greatest advantage that its operation property is excellent and thus it is easy to handle for the operator.
On the other hand, in the slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210, since the cartridge holder 212 is elevated and lowered within the storage apparatus body 211, the thickness of the storage apparatus body 211 increases from a mechanism standpoint so that the thickness of the storage apparatus body 211 increases considerably as compared with that of the pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200.
At that time, the thickness T1 of the disk storage apparatus 210 obtained when the disk cartridge is loaded and the thickness T2 of the disk storage apparatus 210 obtained when the disk cartridge is inserted (or ejected) become equal to each other.
That is, a relation of T1=T2 is established.
In view of the problems encountered with the first and second prior-art examples, the assignee of the present application has proposed a removable disk loading apparatus of the new type in which the merits of the cartridge loading systems of the above-mentioned two kinds are fused, and has filed a patent application (Japanese patent application No. 9-334341). FIGS. 3A, 3B show a schematic arrangement of a disk storage apparatus having this cartridge loading system (hereinafter referred to as a pop-slot type).
As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, this pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 220 includes a mechanical chassis 221 similar to the mechanical chassis 201 of the above-mentioned pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200 and a cartridge holder 222 similar to the cartridge holder 212 of the slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210. The mechanical chassis 221 incorporates therein the same spindle motor 223 and the recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown). Then, when the cartridge holder 222 is elevated and lowered by a holder elevating mechanism (not shown), this pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 220 can selectively take the upper position at which the whole of the cartridge holder 222 is projected on the mechanical chassis 221 as shown in FIG. 3A and the lower position at which the cartridge holder 222 is wholly accommodated within the mechanical chassis 221 as shown in FIG. 3B.
In this pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 220, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the disk cartridge is inserted (or ejected), the cartridge holder 222 is placed in the standby mode at the upper position shown by a narrow line while it is kept in the horizontal state. Thereafter, the disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the cartridge holder 222 by a predetermined amount, whereby the holder elevating mechanism is energized to urge the cartridge holder 222 with the disk cartridge 300 accommodated therein to start the lowering operation automatically. Then, when the cartridge holder 222 is lowered to the lower position (FIG. 3B), the information recording medium accommodated within the disk cartridge 300 is loaded onto the spindle motor 223.
In FIGS. 3A, 3B, let it be assumed that T1 is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 220 obtained when the disk cartridge is loaded, T2 is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 220 obtained when the disk cartridge is inserted (or ejected) and T3 is the thickness of the disk cartridge 300. The following relation is established among the thicknesses T1, T2, T3: EQU T2-T1&gt;T3.
As described above, in the pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 220, by executing the simple operation in which the disk cartridge 300 is inserted into the cartridge holder 222 similarly to the slot-in type, the loading operation can be automatically executed and the disk cartridge 300 can be automatically loaded onto the spindle motor 223. At the same time, in the loading state, similarly to the pop-up type, the thickness of the storage apparatus body can be reduced, i.e. only the thickness of the mechanical chassis 221 is required. Accordingly, when an information signal is recorded and/or reproduced or the apparatus is transported, the disk storage apparatus can be handled in the state that it has the thickness of only the storage apparatus body.
Further, according to the pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 200, the whole surrounding of the mechanism is covered with a housing and can be developed to the slot-in type disk storage apparatus in which the thickness of the disk storage apparatus is constantly made constant. Thus, by using the same assemblies for the disk storage apparatus, it is possible to easily realize a variety of merchandise such as a pop-slot type and a slot-in type.
However, in the prior-art disk storage apparatus, according to the slot-in disk storage apparatus 210, only by executing the single operation in which "insert the disk cartridge 300 into the cartridge holder 212", the loading operation can be automatically executed and the automatic loading of the disk cartridge 300 can be completed. There are then the advantages that if the disk cartridge 300 can be exchanged with ease and this slot-in type disk storage apparatus 210 is easy to handle. However, from a structure standpoint, the thickness of the whole of the disk storage apparatus 220 increases so that the whole of the apparatus cannot be made thin.
On the other hand, according to the pop-up type disk storage apparatus 200 and the pop-slot type disk storage apparatus 220, after the disk cartridge 300 was loaded, the overall thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200, 220 becomes only the thickness of the mechanical chassises 201, 221. There is then no problem that the disk storage apparatus 200, 220 are reduced in thickness after the disk cartridge 300 was loaded thereon. However, when the disk cartridge 300 is inserted and ejected, the cartridge holders 202, 222 are tilted or elevated or lowered so that the overall thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200, 220 increases temporarily. In addition, since the tilted amount or the elevated or lowered amount of the cartridge holders 202, 222 is greater than at least the thickness T3 of the disk cartridge 300, the thickness of the disk storage apparatus 200, 220 obtained when the disk cartridge 300 is inserted or ejected increases temporarily, thereby hindering the whole apparatus from being reduced in thickness.